Just Posted: Pentax K-30 video preview

We've added a hands-on video describing the features of the Pentax K-30 and explaining how it fits in alongside the K-01 and K-5. As it's a pre-production camera, we've not been able to demostrate the autofocus speed but we have included an example of the shutter sound when continuous shooting. Click here to see our Pentax K-30 preview video.

As good if not better than k-5 and cheaper! What not to like!And the double duty lithium/AA compartment for battery is awesome! I like the lil futuristic design but not over the top like k01.After the k01 I had my doubts about pentax, but they are still in the game.

Just checked out Pentax's lens line up and I cannot find a single fast normal prime. The cheapest "50mm" is 35mm f/2.4 at $180 while the fastest is 31mm f/1.8 at $1,000. Where is the cheap f/1.4~f/1.8?

The Pentax-FA 50mm 1.4 is generally available for around $300 new in box. Don't think it's still in production, though. A cheap 50mm 1.8 is also about to go into production under the Pentax-DA line at a MSRP of $250. The DA* 40mm 2.8 pancake is quite nice but is definitely a step up in the price bracket.

There are also tons of old k-mount fast primes, both manual and auto focus, and since Pentax is one of the few manufacturers that has committed to legacy compatibility, using them is quite painless.

Peiasdf - The 35 f/2.4 give quite similar exposures as the Nikkor 35 f/1.8 when used at the same shutter speed - both around t stop 2.0. If you have found any other company that sells a "cheap 35mm f/1.4", I'd like to know, because such a thing does not exist.

there is 55mm f1.4 and 50mm f1.4 if you need fast normal lenses. you can get them at b&h or adorama. the new cheap 50mm f1.8 (exclusively designed for aps-c, so it is really normal lens for aps-c) will hit the shelf next month.

Odd that people consider 50mm to be "normal" on APS-C, it wasn't entirely normal on 35mil. To answer the OPs question you have to look to some of the older lenses which are still readily available on the used market. There's the FA 35mm f/2 or if you don't mind manual focus the A 28mm f/2 Any lens can be "fast" if you bump up the ISO a bit, and since the K30 will use the same sensor as the K5, there's virtually no consequence below 1600.

You can check out pictures from any Pentax lens here http://pentaxphotogallery.com/

Considering the class-leading high ISO capabilities of the K-5/K-30, 2.4 is more than fast enough for indoor shooting. The 35mm 2.4 is an excellent lens for the price, sharp across the frame even wide open.

It also happens to work just fine on full frame cameras, which is a nice bonus.

Nikon and Sony are to be commended for offering fast normal-on-a-crop primes for fairly cheap, but it's not the only strategy out there. Love it or hate it, Pentax has instead adopted the strategy of making small, light lenses that are sharp wide open, as opposed to larger, faster lenses that are softer at their widest apertures.

I have to admit, the K-30 has got me very, very, curious to see what the successor to the K-5 is going to look like. I'm in the crowd that thinks it would take a lot from Pentax to make a K-5 user feel a real desire to upgrade, but given that the K-30 is practically on par with the K-5, I'm beginning to think that they might figure that out...

Also, I like the look of the camera, so put me in the positive crowd. I'd still only buy it in black though.

It might be the best strategy for Pentax to not one-up the K-5 at this point in time. Camera nerds already know that the K-5 is a dynamite value in its niche, and it will remain to be a great value even after the 7D2 rolls around.

The K-30 looks to be the right direction for the company to take. Pentax has no business playing in the entry-level fields for now, so the "advanced amateur" niche is where to strike next. The weather-sealing is an excellent feature from a marketing point of view. It readily distinguishes the K-30 from its competitors, in a way that's easy to express in a simple image: the K-30 soaring in a trail of water.

Thanks, Richard for answering my question about the shutter sound. Interestingly, in your video presentation, your subjective statement that the shutter sound "is about average" is the most valuable piece of information for me.

Tested a A57 demo at Henry's with my A65, shutter sound is the same least as far as I can tell. Then again they both use the same shutter box assembly so not to surpising. I only wish Sony could put out a SLT with weather sealing at the Pentax K-30 price point. Big kudos to Pentax, a weather sealed camera at a bargain price point. Thats got hurt, eh, Canon/Nikon?